Research Programs
Build transferable skills, work with award-winning faculty
Sociology and criminal justice students can join the research teams of faculty who have achieved widespread recognition for their published research. Faculty have won numerous teaching and advisement awards at the departmental, college, and university levels.
Research opportunities are available for undergraduate and graduate students with the Disaster Research Center and the Center for Drug and Health Studies. Both centers are internationally recognized for their social science research. They offer research training for graduate students, including stipends for research assistants and use of data sources.
The Disaster Research Center is one of the world’s leading centers for social science research on disasters and hazards. It was established in 1963 and relocated to the University of Delaware in 1985. It is led by co-directors Jim Kendra, professor, Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, and Tricia Wachtendorf, professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. The well-established research tradition of the Disaster Research Center is founded on interdisciplinary research and a culture of collaboration among faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Since its inception, the Disaster Research Center has conducted field and survey research in more than 520 communities that have sustained the effects of large-scale emergencies including natural and technological disasters. Current and past research sponsors include the National Science Foundation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the NOAA Sea Grant College Program, the U. S. Geological Survey, the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, and the Public Entity Risk Institute.
The Center for Drug and Health Studies was established at the University in 1991 and has received research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute of Justice, private foundations, and the State of Delaware. Ellen Donnelly, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice, serves as the interim director. With eight full-time staff, six graduate students, and ten part-time survey administrators, the Center for Drug and Health Studies conducts research and evaluation on substance misuse, health risk behaviors, criminal justice processes and intersections among these areas.
